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1.4 76 Reviews

OnStar Complaints Summary

7 Resolved
69 Unresolved
Our verdict: If considering services from OnStar with a critical resolution rate, extra caution is advised. Examine detailed customer feedback to understand the severity and nature of unresolved issues. Be prepared for the possibility of unsatisfactory responses and have contingency plans, including seeking assistance from consumer advocacy groups if necessary.
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6:23 pm EDT
Resolved
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OnStar unauthorized charges and useless service

I bought a 2008 Saturn Astra which came with Onstar. The only time I ever authorized my credit card to be used by Onstar was to purchase minutes for the cellular service. After a few attempts at using the navigation system, I gave up because the directions were usually wrong and sometimes sent me to another town when asked a simple question like " where is the closest Target?" At the end of the first year I noticed a charge from Onstar and was told because there were emergency services involved - they have the right to bill me for services without mu authorization. Even though I had never authorized Onstar to use my credit card because the cellular service is from Verizon.

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Savage625
Aurora, US
Feb 05, 2011 3:53 am EST

OnStar is not only useless, their customer service sucks and they're idiots. I traded in a GM Vehicle that had an active OnStar account and phone number with it, called OnStar BEFORE the trade in to be sure I could port the phone number on my old car to my new car and was told I could - that all I had to do was call their billing department when I got my new Avalanche and they'd transfer my information over. So I did that but guess what? Post purchase the new rep claimed they couldn't do that - that the phone number stays with the car. Really? I can see the PHONE staying with the car [obviously] but the phone NUMBER? As I said, IDIOTS. After speaking with her manager and getting absolutely nowhere I took my complaint to the dealer who sold me the new car - also useless. They claim to have talked to the regional OnStar manager who basically said "Tough sh!+". They told him of my threat to cancel my OnStar subscription [despite it being 'free' - of what, can't say since it certainly isn't free of aggravation] and they claim he offered me free minutes but if wasn't good enough I could cancel." Nice, huh? Needless to say I am in the midst of constructing a nasty-gram to Linda Marshall and Dan Akerson. Bottom line, if you're considering buying a new GM vehicle and expect to transfer your old vehicle's phone number to your new car, good luck. I've always loved GM cars, despite their countless mechanical issues, but this one is definitely the last. This has been a horrible experience, SO not worth the aggravation, especially for the price. In restrospect, I should have bought the Sport Trac, instead.

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Peter James Homer
Brampton, CA
May 03, 2010 6:38 pm EDT

I bought a 2009 Vibe inMarch of 2009 and it came with a yerar free of Onstar service, at the time I bought it I bought$20.00 of minutes for the phone on my credit card. In february of 2010 I got notice my free period was up soon so I contacted them to cancel, I still had $19.00 worth of minutes and informed them that I do not use it enough to justify the $28.50 Canadian a month. So I figured taht was all said and done until I recieved my credit card statement this monthy and found the monthly charge on it, checked last months and sure enough there was acharge ther too. I phoned them up and told them and they said oh yes we have a record of you cancelling in February bur you hung uo to quick, I said that was not so, and they said they would credit my card with the two months charges. I JUST WONDER HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE ACROSS NORTH AMERICA GET THE SAME THING HAPPENING IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH BUT IN LARGE NUMBERS A COUPLE OF MONTHS INTREREST ON THE TOTAL CONTINENTAL AMOUNT IS PRETTY GOOD PROFIT. Also I will nebver recieve the borrowing amount for the 56.80 for two months bACK FROM THEM.

Peter Homer
Brampton, ON

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8:59 am EDT
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OnStar they sent survey card can't log on

They sent survey card in mailto log in and sign up for a chance to win one of five $200 prizes, and there is no such site
Www.Ipsosweb.com/onstar

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bahig614
, US
Nov 16, 2015 10:58 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

this would make onstar much easier to use !

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bahig614
, US
Nov 16, 2015 10:54 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Address and customer sync much better !

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bahig614
, US
Nov 16, 2015 10:51 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Could make voice recognition much better!

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bahig614
, US
Nov 16, 2015 10:47 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Just Need Help !

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bahig614
, US
Nov 16, 2015 10:46 am EST
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my first experiences with on star was tremendous and I expect the same with this wonderful SUV so I"M trying the other cars where you have to pair every day such a distraction and a dangerous .So please tell me what I'm doing wrong and thank you for being there bahig

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philip defranco
Lakeland, US
Nov 16, 2009 7:08 pm EST

tryed to get to onstar surveythat card was sent to me

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0200036303
, US
Jul 05, 2009 11:36 pm EDT

got card could not do survey

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9900056201
Alexandria, US
Apr 19, 2009 1:33 pm EDT

Received request to respond to survey via ipsos web site. Cannot log on.

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9700139306
Reading, US
Mar 09, 2009 4:14 pm EDT

I received a customer satisfaction card from onstar but I could not get on the website.

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Barbara
,
Aug 15, 2008 9:00 am EDT

cuuld not do msurvey on line

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1:42 pm EDT
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OnStar to much information

I was driving through Birmingham Alabama the other day when a on-star comercial came on the radio. It played a call where the on-star operator told the police this is on star, we have a front end collision at 35 MPH with air bags deployed.
My on star button could not contact on star so I called them on my cell phone which has a Blocked Number. They answered the call and asked me is this Mr. Phelps? So much for blocked calls.
I used an example "What if I'm in a collision with a vehicle that doesn't have on star and we're both speeding. It's my word against theirs how fast they were driving but your going to tell the police how fast I was driving?" He said there is no direct line to the police so they would not have that information. I explained their commercial on the radio has the on star opperator telling the police how fast the person was traveling at the time of the front end collision and his responce was they only give out information that would assist police in assisting me. I asked if I could request that such information not be relayed to the police in the event of an accident. I didn't get anywhere with that request.
My concern is this service that I'm paying them for may be used aginst me in court should a law suit arrise from an accident.

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ray
,
Nov 25, 2008 8:55 pm EST

unable to pull up requested survey

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keita
,
Oct 18, 2008 8:07 am EDT

tried to do on line survey. not possible.

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Trevor is now a proud father a baby boy
Markham, CA
Jun 22, 2009 2:03 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

You don't want the police to know how fast you are driving, drive within the speed limit. It is that simple. Even Ipunchbabies knows this.

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10:20 pm EST

OnStar directions/coverage

Onstar charges $30.00 a mth to get you lost.. They send you to areas where they don't have coverage.. Me &my kids were going to houston turn by turn is a joke... Turn by wrong turn shpuld br the name of it, or we're sorry but our satilite is'nt picking up a signal that's why you got lost.. Be careful when ordrering this feature you could... Will get lost! And ignored and frustrated... Get a navigation system...

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12:40 pm EDT

OnStar refund to visa credit card

I discussed the monthly fee with one of your employees and they agreed to reduce my monthly fee to @12.95 and credit my Visa account with approximtaely $16.00. This has not been done. The Visa account is in the name of Shirley M. Hawkins, 265 Antebellum Lane, Mt. Juliet, Tn. 37122. I am half owner of the auto and the wife of Ronald Prater, same address. Please advise the status. Shirley M. Hawkins, [protected]

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10:25 pm EDT

OnStar road side assistance

I am extremely disappointed and appalled about the so called "free" roadside assitance covered under my vehicle's warranty. I had to rush out of town to see my grandmother for the last time before she passed away, when I ran out of gas on my way back home. The last thing on my mind was gasoline, since I was so distraught. The state of mind I was in, feeling afraid of being in the middle of nowhere, and still having approximately 40 miles to the nearest gas station, I called "On Star." I thought I had nothing to worry about. I was wrong. Good thing I had my bankcard with me. It took over an hour to get someone from a towing company to bring me gas and after the "free" roadside assitance, I had to pay $70.00 out of my pocket for a quarter tank of gas. I feel completely misled by OnStar's ads and I also feel robbed and taken advantage of in a time of need.

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Piercealberta
Whitecourt, CA
Jul 28, 2016 5:13 am EDT

Early 2012 onstar started billing my credit card twice for a vehicle that was wrote off in November 2010. In July we finally had all the issues resolved, they were giving me a credit of $250 and $366. They applied one credit right away to my credit card. Why they didnt apply both I'm not sure, but I am still fighting for the second one. I call every 7-10 business days. They always have an excuse. The first time the mailed it too the wrong address ( which is my parents and I never got it). So they cancelled that cheque and mailed a new, never got it. So then they were doing a direct deposit after they verified that cheque never cleared. Never received it. Than they were applying it too my credit card. Never received it! Since July I have been waiting and dealing with their bull ### lies and excuses. Than to make issues even worse they continue to call my husbands ex wife and discuss our account details. I cancelled her on the account over 3 years ago and every time I call I cancel her again. One excuse they had was they didn't have our phone number, even though to access our account you verify it with my cell phone and email! Been waiting 9 months for my credit! They are fast to bill my credit card twice after the account had been shut down for over a year, but not so fast to give me my money back.

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cperry54
Merrillville, US
Jul 28, 2016 5:13 am EDT

post card was sent out by on star for a survey, and the site that was on the post card dos'nt exist.

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vermonter
Burlington, US
Jul 28, 2016 5:13 am EDT

you send a onstar post card to do a survey on line and you cant get on your web sight to do the survey .I suggest you check your web sights out before you mail out the post cards to do the survey

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A
12:51 pm EDT

OnStar not worth the money

on star is not worth the money they charge. My wife and I have been lead to highways that are closed more than a few times. One guy told me that my on star did not work in the area I was in. False. I used it before in the same area, and it worked. I also hit the on star again, and received directions from a more competent person. I am very disappointed in what I thought was a truly global positioning technology. GM will not be my next vehicle.

Poor directions, and all they tell you is that they are working on it. I was left at night on a closed expressway that their so called state of the art gps left me, my wife and our handicapped daughter in a terrible neighborhood at night.

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3:41 pm EDT
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OnStar - online survey

Like many of the others on this website, I could not access the online survey site as directed per mail card. Unfortunately, in order to have positive results, one has to be able to log on to a site that either exists or can be easily found. The savy public do not want to wastet their time trying to find a site that appears to be non existent. Many, due to...

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3:51 pm EDT

OnStar discontinued service

I buy a buick century, retirement car. Paid cash... Now onstar... Digital vs analog... Why not update my car so I can still use onstar... After 4 years... Car components are obsolete... Did they not not know when they sold it that. Digital was required in just a few years and provide updated version of onstar... Gm can and should have done much better.

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8:54 pm EDT

OnStar ineffective system

I don’t know how to begin this letter except to say that I’m angry and very disgusted with the Onstar product & process. On February 25, 2008 my brand new Pontiac G6 was stolen, I immediately contacted Onstar to begin the stolen vehicle tracking process when they informed me that I had to make a police report before the authorities could be notified. In the city of Detroit where the vehicle was stolen, they then told me that they don’t take police reports over the phone and nor do the police come out to retrieve a stolen vehicle report from the victim.
So now let me fine tune the picture for you. My vehicle is stolen which means I don’t have a way to get to the police station to get a report that Onstar is requiring me to have before the vehicle can be recovered, so in the meantime, Onstar is senselessly tracking the vehicle, while suspect(s) are destroying the vehicle, while I’m attempting to first find a ride to the station, then second, have to fill out a 4 page police report. Then to add insult to injury, at approximately 5:30a.m. (2 hours later), I contacted Onstar again which is the second part of the process, and gave an advisor the report information just to have another 2 hours pass and a different advisor (Laura) call me back at 7:45a.m. & say “Did you get that police information yet so we can have authorities recover your vehicle?” Needless to say, the vehicle has not been recovered & nor is Onstar able to get a signal on it (vehicle’s Time of Death: approximately 24 hours later).
Now I ask you, how exactly did Onstar help me or my insurance company? How useful was this service or the city’s police department in conjunction with it? The only thing that just happened here is a big waste of time & money for all parties except the criminal.
Also; what about those 130 personal calling minutes I had downloaded inside the vehicle and never got a chance to use?
I’m disgusted with the service, the city & the time I have to spend writing letters like this.
Thank you for the unpleasant experience I’ll try to make sure (that I or anyone I know thinking of renewing Onstar) to never have again.

Sincerely,

Chantal McWillie

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jaclark
, US
Feb 24, 2010 12:26 am EST

I'll be sure to cancel my subscription now, the only reason I kept the service was for a theft situation! Thank you for the warning.

- J. Aaron Clark-

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J
1:21 am EDT

OnStar why onstar don't cover 2000 model vehicles anymore?

Why put a device in a vehicle, and knowing that it won't cover the vehicle in the next up coming years? I have an 2000 Cadillac Escalade w/ the OnStar button inside of it, but it can't be used at all. I called a Cadillac Dealership and ask what can I do to upgrade or either get my Onstar in my Cadillac running again? This person replied to me saying, OnStar doesn't give services to models that old at all! I think that they (OnStar) should re-consider on providing the older models w/OnStar Services again! Its just not fair to the rest of us w/ older model vehicles, that would love to have OnStar, but can't get the services! It only applies to the younger models now! Well, just would like to let (OnStar) know, Its wrong and unfair. Never should have put something in a vehicle, and knowing that it wouldn't last forever!

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vince
,
Nov 14, 2008 2:14 am EST

its not onstar. Its the government saying that nothing can use analog any more. Newer models are duel mode, that can use digital or analog. Dont blame onstar, blame the stupid government for changeing a perfectly working technology, to somthing more expensive, complex, and that pisses alot of people off.

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12:00 am EST

OnStar misleading information

My 2007 Chevy Silverado broke down on the interstate, when On-Star was contacted they were (1) unable to find closest dealer, (2)determine my location, Both of which I had to provide. (3) they did however call a tow truck, 45 min to 2 hr wait, when the truck arrived I was informed that my family was not allowed to ride in the tow truck, therefore being stranded along the highway. I was informed that the tow truck company would provide transportation @$25.00/person. When On-star was asked to contact a Chevrolet dealer they informed me that they were not associated with Chevrolet. They also asked for a cell phone # so I gave them the On Star cell #, they informed me that they could not use an On Star #. People feel safe with On Star with their adds, but they are misleading the service is no better than a regular cell phone. I feel it's more of a scam than a service.

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12:00 am EDT

OnStar cheated by onstar!

When we received a notice our 2003 Cadillac was NOT going to be supplied with OnStar service effective December 2007, we purchased enough telephone minutes to last until that time. Recently, with over 100 minutes left on our telephone, you WITHDREW our minutes--without any notice. Now, we learn they had to be renewed by a certain date--or we'd lose the existing minutes. Any company would have notified the customer of the expiration date--so the customer could have renewed.

Unfortunately, OnStar is the ONLY service available -- if they'd had competition, they would have wanted to KEEP EXISTING customers--supposing a New car purchase might continue the relationship.

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Noel Grace
,
Feb 07, 2008 5:02 am EST

FORTUNATELY OnStar already has a huge competitors, but they don't get it yet. It is called CarShield. The difference is that OnStar cares only about selling the GM cars and CarShield is created to give great services. I just want to tell you people OnStar's kingdom will soon come to end thanks to CarShield!

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12:00 am EDT

OnStar poor service!

My Account # is [protected] and I have a complaint about the diagnostic system giving a notice whenever the battery is close to failing. The Rainier is three plus years old (2004) and the battery has failed three times in each year of ownership.

Today my wife waited for me in the Rainier while I shopped a the drug store for about one half hour. She was playing the radio and when I returned and tried to start the car it would only make a clicking sound.

After several tries, I called triple A and they jump started it. I would think that the diagnostic system would alert the driver whenever the battery is at a low point and liable to fail.

People beware!

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12:00 am EDT

OnStar diagnostic report never received!

I have not been getting my monthly diagnostic report on my 2005 automobile. I called and someone said that i should be receiving it shortly that was 2 months ago. It has been about four months since i have received it. I checked my spam folder like i was told and it was not sent there.

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12:00 am EDT
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OnStar - unhappy with onstar service!

Onstar sent me a letter dated March 2, 2007 to let me know they are dumping all Onstar customers with analog devices. Onstar suggests I purchase new 2006 or 2007 GM vehicle as a remedy. Onstar knew when they put the analog system in the vehicles that the system would be going digital, they started putting in digital compatible systems in 2002 for 2003...

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